Conventional sheer hosiery made of nylon, spandex or the like, whether in the form of pantyhose or separate stockings, presents serious comfort issues to their wearers. For example, women who for professional or fashion reasons wear high-heeled footwear (e.g., boots, pump-type shoes, etc.) for extended periods of time often suffer serious foot pain such as in the toes, balls and arch of their feet. This foot pain is at least partially caused by the construction of the footwear that includes an insole that forms a flat surface extending throughout ball and lower toe portions thereof and an upwardly inclined surface extending throughout an arch portion toward a heel portion. Since the heel portion of the shoe is generally raised relative to the ball and toe portion of the shoe, a wearer's weight is unnaturally shifted toward the ball and toe portions of the wearer's foot.
Sheer hosiery (e.g., nylon stockings and pantyhose) that is typically worn in conjunction with such footwear typically worsens foot pain since such hosiery does not provide absorption or ventilation in the foot area. As can be appreciated from FIG. 1, when a person wears high-heeled shoes and sheer hosiery, the person's sole begins to perspire and the perspiration becomes trapped between the person's skin and the hosiery due to the hosiery material's hydrophobicity. The trapped perspiration causes the person's foot to slide generally forward and downward in the hosiery due to the trapped moisture, the lubricity of the sheer hosiery and the footwear's inclined insole and, therefore, the person's toes become curled against the (typically) reinforced toe portion of the hosiery as indicated in FIG. 1 by arrow C. After the person's toes curl, their only recourse for relieving the curling is to remove their shoes and pull the toe portion of the hosiery away from their toes while attempting to avoid tearing or causing runs in the sheer hosiery fabric. However, this solution is only temporary since the person's sole will continue to perspire and the perspiration will remain trapped, thereby causing the same uncomfortable foot sliding and toe curling result. Over time, this may cause the wearer of such footwear and unforgiving hosiery to experience foot problems such as blisters, calluses, hammertoes and the like.
While it is known in the art to dispose an insert (e.g., a cotton pad) within the foot portion of the hosiery (i.e., the insert is interposed between the sheer fabric and the wearer's foot) to absorb foot perspiration, this does not solve the foregoing problems. Such inserts become saturated and trap moisture against the wearer's foot since the sheer hosiery material is hydrophobic and has poor ventilation qualities. The same foot sliding and toe curling thereby results often with the added discomfort due to bunching of the insert in the toe area. It is also known in the art to attach a pad (e.g., by sewing, gluing or the like) to the exterior of the foot portion of the hosiery so that the pad is positioned proximate to the sole of the wearer's foot. However, this method is also ineffective in solving the sliding and toe curling since the sheer hosiery, being generally hydrophobic, does not allow the foot perspiration to substantially escape for absorption by the exterior pad.
Therefore, sheer hosiery that serves the desired purpose of making the wearer's legs look attractive but are comfortable and free of the foregoing drawbacks in the foot area would be welcomed.